How to create quotes for variant products
Dies führt jedoch zu einem komplexen Angebotsprozess, der traditionell viele Herausforderungen birgt. In diesem Artikel werfen wir einen Blick auf die Nachteile der manuellen Angebotskonfiguration und zeigen, wie eine automatisierte Produktkonfiguration mithilfe von Softwarelösungen für CRM und CPQ mit einem effektiven Variantenmanagement die Effizienz steigert und Fehler minimiert.
In the manufacturing and supply industry, individually configurable products play a decisive role, whereby aspects such as product variants and production steps must be taken into account. Customers expect individual solutions that are tailored precisely to their needs.
However, this leads to a complex quotation process that traditionally poses many challenges. In this article, we take a look at the disadvantages of manual quotation configuration and show how automated product configuration using software solutions for CRM and CPQ with effective variant management increases efficiency and minimizes errors.
The disadvantage of manual offer configuration
The traditional manual process of quote configuration is time-consuming and full of challenges. Sales representatives must continuously identify customer needs and desires in order to design the offer accordingly. This constant exchange of information not only takes up valuable time, but can also lead to misunderstandings and ambiguities.
Another disadvantage is that not all sales staff are familiar with the technical details and feasibility of the products. Queries to the product team or developers are often necessary to clarify the feasibility of the requested solutions. This further slows down the quotation process and makes it unnecessarily complex.
Manually compiled proposals are often created in Word documents or Excel spreadsheets. Although these formats are common, they mean additional administrative work and increased susceptibility to errors. Checking unit quantities in confusing Excel lists further complicates the process. Misunderstandings and gaps are almost inevitable with this approach.
Automated product configuration
To overcome the aforementioned disadvantages and increase the efficiency of the quotation process, it is particularly recommended that companies in the manufacturing sector use a digital quotation configurator. These revolutionary solutions change the way quotes are created and enable automated product configuration. Customers enter their individual requirements and preferences into an intuitive and user-friendly system, eliminating the time-consuming exchange of information with sales. Customers can configure their products themselves and receive a detailed quote in real time that exactly matches their needs.
A major advantage of automated product configuration is the consistency of the quotes. Clear and unambiguous data structures prevent errors and misunderstandings. The sales team can be assured that the configured products are technically feasible. This speeds up the quotation process, as time-consuming queries are eliminated.
Automated product configuration not only saves time during quotation preparation, but also conserves sales resources. Sales staff can concentrate on more demanding tasks, such as providing personal advice and support to customers, and are relieved of bureaucratic tasks.
The error-free configuration of products leads to higher customer satisfaction. Customers get exactly what they want without having to compromise, which in turn leads to repeat purchases. In addition, streamlined order processing can increase sales. The accelerated quotation process can result in faster order processing and thus an increase in total orders.
Challenges in variant management
The manufacturing and supply industry is known for its variant-rich products. Customers expect customized solutions that meet their specific requirements. However, this leads to a large number of product variants, which are often complex and whose realization is not always guaranteed.
When quoting for variable products, companies face various challenges. They must ensure that the technical specifications are realizible and that the product can be configured efficiently. The combination of different materials and functions must be carefully considered to ensure a functional and high-quality product. Furthermore, defining the individual categories and calculating the price for the configured product are other important aspects that need to be considered.
How are complex products integrated into the quote configurator?
Complex products are integrated into the quote configurator using an intelligent data structure and a comprehensive product database. This links technical specifications, components and variants with each other to enable customized solutions.
An example from medical technology
Whether imaging systems, medical devices or diagnostic instruments - every product in medical technology is highly specialized and requires precise configurations when it comes to quoting. The challenge is to seamlessly integrate this complexity into the quote configurator. By incorporating medical standards and regulatory requirements, the quotation configurator can ensure error-free assembly of the complex products.
Customers receive customized solutions that not only meet their needs, but also comply with all relevant regulations. An example of this is the company KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Geräte GmbH, which uses a customized solution based on Ninox. Their dealers and agents can use the sales navigator to create quotations in Ninox that meet a customer's specific requirements.
Product configuration with variant management
In the era of Industry 4.0, digital solutions for quoting and product configuration have become essential to address the complexities and challenges of variant management.
Flexible CRM and CPQ applications like Ninox CRM can be easily adapted to the specific requirements of the manufacturing and supplier industry. They make product variant management manageable and enable lightning-fast quoting using drop-down menus. Customers can customize their products without compromising the feasibility of the solutions. A direct link to the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system means that product availability can be checked and prices automatically calculated as early as the quotation creation stage.
With a quotation configurator, incovenient manual processes such as the use of Excel lists and Word documents are a thing of the past. Instead, quotes can be created with just a few clicks. This gives the sales team more time for intensive customer consultation and support, which improves the customer experience and ultimately contributes to the success of companies in the manufacturing and supplier industry.
Product configuration with variant management
In the era of Industry 4.0, digital solutions for quoting and product configuration have become essential to address the complexities and challenges of variant management.
Flexible CRM and CPQ applications like Ninox CRM can be easily adapted to the specific requirements of the manufacturing and supplier industry. They make product variant management manageable and enable lightning-fast quoting using drop-down menus. Customers can customize their products without compromising the feasibility of the solutions. A direct link to the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system means that product availability can be checked and prices automatically calculated as early as the quotation creation stage.
With a quotation configurator, incovenient manual processes such as the use of Excel lists and Word documents are a thing of the past. Instead, quotes can be created with just a few clicks. This gives the sales team more time for intensive customer consultation and support, which improves the customer experience and ultimately contributes to the success of companies in the manufacturing and supplier industry.
Product configuration with variant management
In the era of Industry 4.0, digital solutions for quoting and product configuration have become essential to address the complexities and challenges of variant management.
Flexible CRM and CPQ applications like Ninox CRM can be easily adapted to the specific requirements of the manufacturing and supplier industry. They make product variant management manageable and enable lightning-fast quoting using drop-down menus. Customers can customize their products without compromising the feasibility of the solutions. A direct link to the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system means that product availability can be checked and prices automatically calculated as early as the quotation creation stage.
With a quotation configurator, incovenient manual processes such as the use of Excel lists and Word documents are a thing of the past. Instead, quotes can be created with just a few clicks. This gives the sales team more time for intensive customer consultation and support, which improves the customer experience and ultimately contributes to the success of companies in the manufacturing and supplier industry.
